Villages in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, to become 100% solar powered

The villages of Chanduhar and Fakirpur in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, that have never electricity for the last 68 years since Independence, can now boast of being the first villages in the state to be having 100% solar power. It will be free for the first five years.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 July 2015.

Under the initiative of the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the 250 kilowatt mini-grid worth Rs 6.15 crore, was built within four months. It will power 60 street lights and provide energy to 450 homes and their 2,000 residents, apart from commercial establishments, two schools, a training centre and a healthcare facility.
Things will certainly change for the residents of Fakirpur and Chanduhar villages in Kannauj that, till now, used to come to a standstill at sun down. Every electrical appliance from flour mills to submersible water pumps and street lights will be electrified with solar energy in these villages.
The connection has already been given for lights of the streets and narrow lanes and as formal inauguration would be done on July 7 by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, in the presence of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Kannauj Member of Parliament (MP) Dimple Yadav.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Uma Bharti wants dam construction in Ganga to stop

#namamiganga #narendramodi #umabharti Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given responsibility of cleaning the Ganga to Union water resources minister Uma Bharti but, there appears to be a clash of interest brewing because, in the opinion of Uma Bharti, constructing new dams would hamper the cleaning of the Ganga.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 24 June 2015.

Hinting that her concerns were the hydro-power projects, she has asked different ministries including environment and power to have a cautious approach while allowing construction of any new dam on the river.
There are six contentious hydro power projects in Uttarakhand which could severely affect the ecological flow of the Ganga. Environmentalists have already asked for scrapping such projects that could lead to another June, 2013-like disaster in the region.
Uma Bharti has urged the environment and power ministers to consider alternate proposals like solar energy instead if constructing dams to generate hydro-electricity in Uttarakhand. She has also agreed to pay compensation of Rs 20,000-crores from the ‘Namami Ganga’ funds to the companies\stakeholders if they decide to scrap these projects.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Rajasthan is No 1 in solar power in India, leaves Gujarat behind

Rajasthan has taken over the No 1 position in solar energy from Gujarat – as per data released by the Union ministry of new and renewable energy on June 4, 2015, Rajasthan boasts of an installed capacity of 1,167 megawatt against Gujarat's 1,000MW and has, thus, grabbed the number one position.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 22 June 2015.

Until recently, Gujarat was the undisputed leader in the field and Rajasthan has overtaken it. Given the number of projects in the pipeline, it is expected that Rajasthan, the desert state, will hold this distinction for quite some time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as chief minister of Gujarat, had seen the potential of solar power and the state always remained at the top as the largest generator of the green energy. It was one of the few states to spot the opportunity and brought out a solar policy in 2009. As a result, many power developers flocked to Gujarat and made substantial investments even as the cost of generating solar power. It was a costly affair because the cost was more than Rs 17 per unit against Rs 4 required to generate same amount of power from thermal sources.
However, Rajasthan is now the upcoming star - it had all the natural advantages for generating solar energy, like plenty of barren land and high solar radiation in the country. It was not able to live up to its potential because of an investor-friendly policy and an aggressive promotion by the government to promote the sector. That has changed. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Solar energy just got into spray-and-use mode – goodbye to solar panels

Science and technology is advancing at a fast pace and its latest offering is solar energy that can dispense with the solar panels that has been the norms till now. Welcome the spray version that can be sprayed onto tiles by a Ghostbuster-style team.
This is a revolutionary invention by scientists from the University Of Toronto Faculty Of Applied Science & Engineering – they have invented a new way to spray solar cells onto flexible surfaces using miniscule light-sensitive materials known as colloidal quantum dots (CQDs). As explained by Illan Kramer at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, it would finally translate into a couple of technicians with Ghostbusters backpacks who would come to the house and spray the CQDs on the roof.
It may sound like science fiction but the team is serious and are upbeat.
They have worked out that these solar-sensitive CQDs printed onto a flexible film could be used to coat all kinds of objects from laptops to aircraft wings. If applied on the surface of a car roof, it could produce enough power for three 100-Watt light bulbs or 24 compact fluorescents.
And, in the bargain, it could send prices of solar panels crashing.